Take, Catch

Greek Word Pronunciation: har-PAD-zoh
Strong’s Number: 726
Goodrich/Kohlenberger Number: 773
Key Verse: “… no one will snatch them out of my hand.” -- John 10:28

This verb, harpadzo, appears 14 times in the New Testament and denotes seizing and bearing away as a robber does his prey, thus, taking by force. The noun and adjective forms have to do with "pillage" or "spoilage"; or being a "swindler" or "robber." In the NASB, the translation take by force is found 3 times: In Matthew 11:12, referring to men taking the kingdom by force; in John 6:15, Jesus knowing that men wanted to take Him by force to make Him king; and in Acts 23:10, with men wanting to take Paul by force.

In Matthew 12:29, the reference is to plundering a house.

The translation "caught up" is found in three verses: in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 4 about a man who was caught up to Paradise; Revelation 12:5, regarding the man-child Christ being caught up to God; and 1 Thessalonians 4:17, in regard to the believers in the rapture being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. This implies the application of forceful external power of God.

The remaining verses use the translation to snatch (in KJV, it is catch, pull, or pluck): John 10:12 refers to a wolf snatching the sheep; Matthew 13:19 refers to Satan snatching away the word of the kingdom. Acts 8:39 reveals that the Spirit snatched Philip away; and in Jude 1:23 of snatching persons who were deceived by false teachers out of the fire, referring to seizing a person by the most vigorous effort, by stern preaching.

In the key verses of JOHN 10:28, 29, Jesus promises that no one will snatch believers out of His hand or out of the Father’s hand. Just as Psalm 95:7 refers to believers as the “sheep of His hand,” and the hands of Christ have laid the foundations of the universe and hold all things together, it is then true that no one can be plucked out of these hands. The sheep have a double security, being in the hands of both Christ and the Father of Christ. They can no more be plucked out of the hands of the one, than of the other.